News

Anyone visiting Thailand from Russia – or any other country for that matter – should take note that pot is illegal there. Like really illegal.

Earlier this week, police officers on the Thai vacation island of Koh Pha Ngan raided two rented party houses and arrested eight Russian citizens – five women and three men. During the raid police seized a hand-carved bamboo water pipe and 304 grams (10.72 ounces) of “compressed cannabis.”

The raids were part of an investigation into a now-deleted Facebook page titled “Bong Russian Boss,” on which the accused allegedly advertised pot and bongs for sale.

Two of the arrested men, each 29-years-old, claimed ownership of the seized items and were formally charged with possession. They claim they didn’t know that cannabis was illegal in Thailand. Unfortunately that excuse will be of little help in a country known for its draconian drug laws.

But while lawmakers ponder making Missouri the 21st state to collect taxes on illegal drugs, they’re also contemplating heading in the opposite direction and making Missouri the 24th to legalize marijuana in some fashion.

I have a lot of respect for military veterans. I have members of my family, and close personal friends that have served our country, and I’m very proud of them. Most of them have had a hard time when they come back to civilian life. It’s hard for them to relate to the civilian world, and gaining reliable employment was an issue after they were discharged. I have recommended to a few of them to look for a career in the cannabis industry, but as far as I know, none of them have taken my advice yet.

I know there are marijuana businesses out there that give hiring preference to veterans. I’d like to see more businesses do that in this industry. Many marijuana businesses need private security, and veterans are a logical fit for that sector of the industry. Per International Business Times:

“There’s plenty of ex-military available who are back from overseas and having a hard time finding work,” says Dan Williams, head of Canna Security America, which is based in Denver but operates in 12 states. “What you were doing over there may not transition [to other lines of work]. You were trained to do something, and that doesn’t really apply to working at Starbucks.”

Indeed, unemployment among veterans is a nationwide problem. Even as the United States added more than 3 million jobs in 2014, 7.9 percent of veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan were still unemployed, higher than the national average of 5.7 percent.

“Right now, they need jobs,” Williams says. “And we can help with that.”

According to Williams, ex-military members tend to have a good work ethic and plenty of past training. And he expects that within the next few months roughly 70 to 80 percent of his staff will be former military, to account for an increased demand for armed guards and transport. Most of the entry-level jobs don’t pay particularly well, but there is definitely room for growth.

I tip my hat to Canna Security America for hiring veterans. If you are a marijuana business, please do what you can to try to hire military veterans when you can. They have served our country proudly, and giving them a job is a great way to thank them for their service.

VANCOUVER, Wash. (AP) - Washington's marijuana business has created a legal occupation that offers career opportunities for bud trimmers."I've done everything from pumping gas to remodeling houses, but I think there's longevity in this," 32-year-old bud trimmer Kurt Vermillion told The Columbian. "I think there's lots of growing room in this industry. I want to do whatever they need me to do."Bud trimmers make between $12 and $15 an hour and use small scissors to trim away leaves and other things from marijuana buds. Most trimmers work on about a pound to a pound and a half of marijuana per day.Experienced workers can move up to gardeners or concentrate makers and make $50,000 to $90,000 a year.For 37-year-old Julie Whittaker, who started trimming buds in November, the job turned out to be less stressful than her former work in the banking software industry."I've been learning my way as I go," she said. "I'm intrigued by this whole industry. It's a big shift for me, and honestly I find it to be better regulated than even my old career in banking."Vermillion and Whittaker work at Cedar Creek Cannabis, where Mark Michaelson, head of operations, is eyeing ways to hold onto workers. The company has 14."We want to work on employee retention," he said. "Eventually we'll have health and dental insurance and full benefits for them, too."Clark County has eight growers that have been approved by the Liquor Control Board, and five stores have opened in Clark County so far and two more are planning to open within two months.Before the legalization of marijuana, bud trimmers migrated from job to job and were paid in cash by the pound and risked arrest. Now, bud trimmers typically make an hourly wage, though some are paid by the pound."I think what happens is people think in this industry, people are just hanging out and maybe even smoking," said 32-year-old Brittny Houghton, 32, whose family owns Cedar Creek Cannabis. "But that's not what we do. It's a real job, it's 9 to 5, you have to be on time, you don't have to be a smoker, and the quality of the work is important."At CannaMan Farms, another marijuana business, owner Brian Stroh said trimmers come from a variety of backgrounds."It's a business that people who work hard can move up in," he said.

I have long said that if the black market for marijuana is going to be eliminated, legal marijuana prices have to be lower, or at least close to lower, than prices on the black market. I’m all for paying a bit more at a store, but when someone can get marijuana on the black market for 5 dollars a gram, and it costs 19 dollars a gram at a store, that’s not going to work. That is the case in Washington State, where the tax structure for marijuana is hurting the industry quite a bit. This week the Washington Senate voted to make big changes to the tax structure for marijuana. PerMarijuana Business Daily:

There may be a glimmer of hope for what is widely considered an untenable tax structure in Washington State.

As it stands, a 25% excise tax at three transfer points: when producers sell to processors, when processors sell to retailers, and when retailers sell to end consumers. Business owners in the industry say that tax structure inhibits their ability to do business and drives up prices.

The new bill proposes a one-time tax of 37% on retail sales.

I still think a 37% tax is too high, but that’s less than half of what it is now (25% times 3). I would like to see Washington move to a tax structure like what Oregon is going to have, which should be a flat rate of $35 per ounce. That of course is assuming the Oregon Legislature respects the will of the voters. If that proves to be the case, Oregon would have the lowest marijuana taxes in the country, and would be bordered by Washington which would have the highest.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) told the Los Angeles Times that a bi-partisan amendment passed by Congress last year prohibiting DOJ from spending any money to undermine state medical marijuana laws doesn’t prevent it from prosecuting people for medical marijuana or seizing their property. The statement comes as the agency continues to target people who are complying with their state medical marijuana law. This insubordination is occurring despite the fact that members of Congress in both parties were clear that their intent with the amendment was to protect medical marijuana patients and providers from federal prosecution and forfeiture.

“The Justice Department is ignoring the will of the voters, defying Congress, and breaking the law,” said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance. “President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder need to rein in this out-of-control agency.”

Twenty-three states and the District of Columbia have laws that legalize and regulate marijuana for medicinal purposes. Twelve states have laws on the books regulating cannabidiol (CBD) oils, a non-psychotropic component of medical marijuana which some parents are utilizing to treat their children’s seizures. Four states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for non-medical use.

Last May Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher and Democratic Congressman Sam Farr offered an amendment to a spending bill prohibiting the Justice Department from spending any money in 2015 to prevent states “from implementing their own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.” Members of both parties took to the House floor in opposition to the prosecution of medical marijuana patients and providers and in defense of states setting their own marijuana laws without federal interference.

The Republican-controlled House passed the amendment with most Democrats and 49 Republicans approving it. The amendment was backed in the Senate by Republican Senator Rand Paul and Democratic Senator Cory Booker and made it into the final “cromnibus” bill that was signed by President Obama in December. The spending restriction applies to fiscal year 2015 spending.